Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares End 2020 as Best Tennis Doubles Team
November 22, 2020 - Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares are the best doubles team in the world this year!
Croatian Davis Cup national team member Mate Pavic and Brazilian tennis player Bruno Soares are the best tennis doubles team in the world this year, which was confirmed on Saturday. Next year, they will hunt for trophies with other partners.
Pavic and Soares unhappily finished the group stage at the final tournament in London and did not make it to the semifinals thanks to a worse set-quotient than the remaining two pairs with two wins and one defeat. They came to the O2 Arena with only a 35-point advantage over American Rajeev Ram and Briton Joe Salisbury.
However, with the defeat of Austrian Melzer and Frenchman Roger-Vasselin in the semifinals, Ram and Salisbury remained behind by 35 points, so Pavic and Soares became the best doubles team in the world for the second time in their careers. Pavic did it two years ago with Austrian partner Oliver Marach, and Soares in 2016 with British partner Jamie Murray, with whom he will reunite next year.
In 2021, Mate Pavic will play with his teammate from the Croatia national team Nikola Mektic, who will fight for the title in London with Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof against Melzer and Roger-Vasselin.
"I am very happy that Bruno and I finished the year at number 1. It was a great partnership and a nice achievement for the end," said Mate Pavic, who has played with Soares as a permanent partner since the tournament at London's Queen's Club in 2019.
In a year and a half of joint performances, the Croatian-Brazilian duo won the US Open and the tournament in Montpellier in 2020, reached the finals of Roland Garros and the Paris Masters, and in 2019, won the Masters in Shanghai and lost the final in Stockholm.
"It is a special moment for us that we finished as number 1. I think it is a huge achievement that shows that we played well throughout the year, how constant we were, winning big tournaments. We will celebrate well and remember all the beautiful moments together on the court because we all went through a difficult year together," concluded Bruno Soares.
Source: HRT
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Mate Pavic Wins US Open Doubles Title against Nikola Mektic!
September 10, 2020 - In the first-ever US Open doubles final that featured two Croatian players, Mate Pavic wins the title against Nikola Mektic.
On the opposite sides of the court on Thursday evening was Nikola Mektic and Dutchman Wesley Koolhof, against Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares. Mektic and Koolhof were the 8th-seed of the tournament, while Pavic and Soares were 5th.
In the final match at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, Pavic and Soares were more successful, beating Nikola Mektic and Koolhof 7:5, 6:3.
It took just 47 minutes for Pavic and Soares to win the first set. The duo won 7:5, and with a break in the sixth game of the second set, they came close to the title.
Pavic has so far played in the men's doubles finals in all three remaining Grand Slam tournaments. He won the Australian Open in 2018, while losing the Wimbledon final in 2017 and Roland Garros in 2018. Each time his partner was Austrian Oliver Marach.
?? Mate Pavic & ?? Bruno Soares win their first #USOpen doubles title as a team! pic.twitter.com/vzrgm7F6tG
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2020
In addition, Pavic has two titles in the mixed doubles. In 2016, he won the US Open with German Laura Siegemund, and in 2018 the Australian Open with Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski with whom he lost the Roland Garros final in 2018 and 2019.
That ? feeling.
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2020
Mate Pavic & Bruno Soares are your 2020 US Open men's doubles champions!@BrunoSoares82 | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/fosN2rEiMP
For Mektic, this was his first men's doubles final at a Grand Slam tournament. His biggest success so far has been the Roland Garros semifinals in 2018, when he played with Austrian Alexander Peya.
Earlier this year, Mektic won the Australian Open title in the mixed doubles competition with Czech Barbora Krejcikova, while two years ago, he played the finals of the mixed doubles in New York with Polish partner Alicia Rosolska.
First trophy raise of the tournament and it feels so good. ?@BrunoSoares82 | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/AEl8MWiQIz
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2020
This is the first Croatian title at the US Open in men's doubles since the legendary Nikola Pilic 50 years ago.
For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily.
Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages
Shanghai Masters: Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares Win First Joint Doubles Title!
October 13, 2019 - Mate Pavic and Brazilian partner Bruno Soares have won the doubles title at the Shanghai Open after defeating Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo.
Sunday morning was welcomed with great news out of Shanghai, as Split native Mate Pavic and his Brazilian teammate Bruno Soares won their first joint doubles title!
Sportnet.hr reports that in the final match on Sunday, Pavic and Soares defeated the second-seeded Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6:4, 6:2 after an hour and ten minutes of play. This is Pavic’s first title in a Masters tournament and 15th overall in the men's doubles competition.
A first team title for @BrunoSoares82 and Mate Pavic. ?
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 13, 2019
The eighth seeds beat defending champions Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 6-2 at the @SH_RolexMasters. ?
?: @TennisTVpic.twitter.com/8EApv6H3bK
One break in the third game was more than enough for Pavic and Soares to ultimately lock in the first set. Kubot and Melo didn't have much of a chance - and while they saved three, they failed to save the fourth set point for the first set.
The second set wasn’t too tricky for Pavic and Soares, either. The Croatian-Brazilian duo only had to save one break and took the serve of their opponent twice to reach the final victory and Shanghai Open title.
? Time to celebrate! ?
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 13, 2019
Congratulations, @BrunoSoares82 & Mate Pavic! ?@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShMasters pic.twitter.com/BQlBXmUg9G
Recall, Pavic and Soares advanced to the final after defeating British pair Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski - 7:5, 6:4.
In a match that saw as many as eight breaks, Pavic and Soares (who achieved six aces and a first-serve percentage of 68 percent) took the serve from their opponents on five occasions. In the final, Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo failed to defend the title of the tournament.
Furthermore, after six consecutive wins (and the title in Beijing), Ivan Dodig and his Slovakian partner Filip Polasek lost the Shanghai quarter-final match to Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6:4, 7:6 (2). Kubot and Melo thus got revenge on Dodig and Polasek after losing to them in the Beijing final.
In the first set, Dodig and Polasek lost their serve at 3-3. However, they had the chance to take the match into the third set, but after missing two set points at 6-5 and losing the tie-break, the victory went to Kubot and Melo after an hour and 40 minutes of play.
After Marin Cilic dropped out of the first round of the Shanghai Masters, Borna Coric, too, failed to make it past the first round. Last year's finalist was stopped by Russian Andrej Rublyov (33rd in the ATP ranking) - 6:4, 7:6 (4).
Donna Vekic failed to reach the quarter-final of the WTA Tournament in Linz, Austria, which boasts a prize fund of €250,000. The Osijek player, who was the fourth seed of the tournament, was defeated by French player Kristina Mladenovic (46th in the WTA ranking) in the second round - 3:6, 6:1, 6:2.
It was their fifth match and the third win for Mladenovic, who tasted revenge against Donna after losing to the Croatian in their two meetings this year - in the 1st round of the Australian Open and the quarter-final of the WTA tournament in Nottingham.
Source: HTS
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Shanghai Masters: Mate Pavic Books First Doubles Final with Bruno Soares
October 12, 2019 - Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares will play in their first joint final on Sunday!
Namely, the Croatian-Brazilian duo advanced to the final of the ATP Masters 1000 Series tournament in Shanghai (Shanghai Masters) after defeating British pair Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski - 7:5, 6:4.
In a match that saw as many as eight breaks, Pavic and Soares (who achieved six aces and a first-serve percentage of 68 percent) took the serve from their opponents on five occasions. In the final, Pavic and Soares await the second-seeded Polish-Brazilian team Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, who are looking to defend their title at the tournament.
Recall, after six consecutive wins (and the title in Beijing), Ivan Dodig and his Slovakian partner Filip Polasek lost the Shanghai quarter-final match to Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6:4, 7:6 (2). Kubot and Melo thus got revenge on Dodig and Polasek after losing to them in the Beijing final.
In the first set, Dodig and Polasek lost their serve at 3-3. However, they had the chance to take the match into the third set, but after missing two set points at 6-5 and losing the tie-break, the victory went to Kubot and Melo after an hour and 40 minutes of play.
Recall, after Marin Cilic dropped out of the first round of the Shanghai Masters, Borna Coric, too, failed to make it past the first round. Last year's finalist was stopped by Russian Andrej Rublyov (33rd in the ATP ranking) - 6:4, 7:6 (4).
Donna Vekic failed to reach the quarter-final of the WTA Tournament in Linz, Austria, which boasts a prize fund of €250,000. The Osijek player, who was the fourth seed of the tournament, was defeated by French player Kristina Mladenovic (46th in the WTA ranking) in the second round - 3:6, 6:1, 6:2.
It was their fifth match and the third win for Mladenovic, who tasted revenge against Donna after losing to the Croatian in their two meetings this year - in the 1st round of the Australian Open and the quarter-final of the WTA tournament in Nottingham.
Source: HTS
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
